On Saturday, March 15, 2014, I visited the Metropolitan Museum in New York. The gallery #753, which is a part of so-called American Wing, features oil paintings of the revolutionary period in America. The paintings seen in this gallery celebrate heroes and hard-fought battles of the new nation. The most popular type of painting of that time remained portraiture. Portraits in extremely large numbers figured in interiors, where they were arranged to convey not only domestic, but political messages as well. Hence, it is natural, that such iconic figure like George Washington became a model for numerous artists of that era, including Gilbert Stuart and Charles Willson Peale, for whom Washington actually sat. Two exceptional portraits of Washington, the general and the the first President of the United States are highlighted in this paper.
Charles Willson Peale was an artist, inventor, scientist and writer and a great friend of George Washington. During the revolutionary war, he participated in the battles at Trenton and Princeton and was made a captain (Luhrs 116). In 1779, since the war was almost ended, Peale was commissioned to paint a full-length portrait of George Washington for he meeting room of the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia (Barratt 25). The elegant and informal image portrayed the general at the site of his triumph. The tall confident figure of Washington stands in a relaxed position with one hand resting on a cannon, which symbollizes the victory that is being celebrated, as do the captured Hessian flags that lie at his feet.
The painting was so popular, that he made its numerous versions with sightliest differences. The version presented in Metropolitan Museum, descended through the famil...
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...duced his sitters into conversation, so he could record not only sitter's appearance, but his personality. However, he struggled to engage the president, who apparently hated to sit for his portrait (McLanathan 83). The artist was not entirely satisfied with the picture, that he felt could not convey "the expression he knew must accord with such features and such a man" (McLanathan 83). Though the many, including the president's old friends, found it a compelling likeness (McLanathan 84). This project brought Gilbert Stuart international fame. He executed at least seventy replicas of the portrait and many other artists were able to use it as the basis for their work (McLanathan 85). At that time portraits were painted to celebrate national achievements and public heroes, and so Stuart satisfied the need of the new nation for lasting images of early national leaders.
The colors used in this painting are a combination of bright and dark, giving a sense of professionalism and unconventional feel to the ambassadors and their backdrop. Their clothing is brittle and complete. The composition of this painting is mainly “stuffed” into the center column of the image with the ambassadors substituting walls marking the end of the items in the composition as well as forming an area that our eyes are tensed
Washington's dedication to the cause of the American Revolution inspired and impressed everyone. He was a great general, and astute politician, and a symbol of the cause for independence. He was a master in the art of war. Bibliography:.. Bibliography Handel, Michael I. Masters of War.
This essay will also compare the work of Thomas Moran, another Hudson River School artist working with the same subject matter, and will attempt to clarify the artist’s similarities and differences in regard to both technique and contributions. The work of Winslow Homer, a contemporary of Church, will be briefly discussed in relation to the impact the Civil War had on subject matter in relationship to nati...
...laced on the style and materials presented in the painting. While evaluating and comparing various paintings the author feels that at the beginning of the Renaissance era the skill level of the artist was often not acknowledged whereas materials were, but at the end of the era, skill level played a larger factor in who was chosen to complete the artwork. Therefore, fresco painting, which emerged near the end of the period, changed this so called “deposit”, along with the relationship of the artist and the patron, allowing for the talent and skill of the artist to shine.
Two of the most extensively analyzed works of art are Diego Velasquez's Las Meninas and Jan Van Eyck's Arnolfini Double Portrait. Both of these artist's talent won them recognition not only during their lifetime but after as well. Both Velasquez and Van Eyck have a justly earned title as the most talented artists of their respective times. A detailed examination of the details and intricacies of these artist's respective masterpieces, their similarities, and what sets them apart not just from each other but from other paintings from their time period and style, will lead the viewer to a better understanding of the mentalities of these gifted artists and how they transcend their respective genres and contemporaries to create their own artistic identities.
Art has been the reflection, interpretation and representation of artists' beliefs and morals eternally. Various artists stand for different matters that quite possibly affect their lives, or might be of an interest to them. Norval Morrisseau is an artist that I was intrigued by his portrayal and the techniques used in his paintings. In this paper, we are going to look at the implementation of Morrisseau's painting style used to expose his philosophies of different aspects in his life.
I chose to analyze the The Family, 1941 portray and The Family, 1975 portray, both from Romare Bearden, for this essay because they are very similar paintings but at the same time very different. To write a critical analyzes it was necessary to choose two different paintings that had similar characteristics. The text about critical comparison said that to compare things they have to be similar, yet different, and that’s what these paintings look to me. As I had already written an analysis of The Family, 1941 portray I chose to analyze and compare The Family, 1975 this time. Both works have a lot of color in it and through the people’s faces in the pictures we can feel the different emotions that the paintings are conveying.
The artists of the Baroque had a remarkably different style than artists of the Renaissance due to their different approach to form, space, and composition. This extreme differentiation in style resulted in a very different treatment of narrative. Perhaps this drastic stylistic difference between the Renaissance and Baroque in their treatment of form, space, and composition and how these characteristics effect the narrative of a painting cannot be seen more than in comparing Perugino’s Christ Delivering the Keys of the Kingdom to St. Peter from the Early Renaissance to Caravaggio’s Conversion of St. Paul from the Baroque.Perugino was one of the greatest masters of the Early Renaissance whose style ischaracterized by the Renaissance ideals of purity, simplicity, and exceptional symmetry of composition. His approach to form in Christ Delivering the Keys of the Kingdom to St.Peter was very linear. He outlined all the figures with a black line giving them a sense of stability, permanence, and power in their environment, but restricting the figures’ sense of movement. In fact, the figures seem to not move at all, but rather are merely locked at a specific moment in time by their rigid outline. Perugino’s approach to the figures’themselves is extremely humanistic and classical. He shines light on the figures in a clear, even way, keeping with the rational and uncluttered meaning of the work. His figures are all locked in a contrapposto pose engaging in intellectual conversation with their neighbor, giving a strong sense of classical rationality. The figures are repeated over and over such as this to convey a rational response and to show the viewer clarity. Perugino’s approach to space was also very rational and simple. He organizes space along three simple planes: foreground, middle ground, and background. Christ and Saint Peter occupy the center foreground and solemn choruses of saints and citizens occupy the rest of the foreground. The middle distance is filled with miscellaneous figures, which complement the front group, emphasizing its density and order, by their scattered arrangement. Buildings from the Renaissance and triumphal arches from Roman antiquity occupy the background, reinforcing the overall classical message to the
The Interpretation/Meaning (III) will be written without any guideline points, the aim of this part will be to determine what the painter wanted to express with his piece of work and what it tells us in a symbolic or not instantly clear way. This part will also handle why the artist drew the painting the way he did it and why he chose various techniques or tools.
When he came back to America he became one of the most famous artist during this time period. He has painted over 1,100 portraits and some including the most famous people involved in the American Revolution. Peale moved to Philadelphia in his late adult hood and opened up a Museum, and then he died in February 22, 1827.
Harvey, Eleanor. The Civil War and American Art: A Ride for Liberty?. Eye Level: Smithsonian American Art Museum, 21 February 2013. Web. 30 October 2013.
In his effort to depict Washington in his three roles as general, statesman, and patriarch Savage draws on canonical portraits of Washington fulfilling these roles. Works by other portraitists such as Charles Wilson Peale show Washington in the vicinity of a battlefield in uniform. These portraits highlight his leadership qualities and bravery. They follow conventions of war portraiture found in both the colonies and in Europe at the time, such as George Washington at the Battle of Princeton by Charles Wilson Peale. (Fig. 4) Practices in Washington portraiture shifted after the war when we enter his role of a statesman. Instead of bold uniforms and military settings, portraits like the Athenaeum Portrait of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart
The main influences perceptible in this painting are those of Millet, Delacroix, and the Impressio...
The painting called, “George Washington Crossing the Delaware” can be interpreted in many different ways. The main message this painting is showing is how the brave patriots crossed the Delaware. There are many other things that this painting also shows us. For example, in the back of the boat we see the patriots paddling and then in the front we see General Washington standing high and proud. We see him looking further down the sea. His strong posture shows us that General Washington is the leader and he is the one in charge. Also we see the patriots working hard. They seem to be in harsh conditions but they are still fighting on. This painting illustrates and shows how determined and fearless the patriots were.
Clearly, the piece is not in its original form, nor was it even twenty years after completion. However, due to the concern, care, diligence, and expertise of many art lovers, there remains at least a remnant of da Vinci’s masterpiece to be studied and enjoyed by future scholars and visitor.